Bismarck weekly tribune., 1887-09-23

IA 2.
building, New York. All advertisements for the
tribune from points east of Illinois should be
sent to him. '",l .s. :
GEORGE PECK ON DAKOTA. r..
The editor Of Peck's Sun spent
couple of weeks in the southern part of
Dakota recently and upon his return
gave his impressions of the condition of
affairs in that section. He starts out
with the declaration that he has "put in
two weeks getting ideas about country
that is destined to be the grandest in the
union if it has half show" and he be-
lieves he has an "idea" himself that. will
benefit Dakota if acted upon. His whole
article is sort of lecture to the railroad
companies. He says there is "screw
loose somewhere and he proposes to
tighten it. For twenty years he has be-
lieved in railroads and supposed they
knew their business better than he did,
but this trip has convinced him that even
the railroads have much to learn. It is
unfortunate that Mr.. Peck did not visit
Ul0 uPHOl lAlSSOuIIH oAOHO" OA ulAb Ul1Hs
He could then have made still stronger
argument on the fuel question. He
would have advised the railroads to
build at once to these inexhaustable coal
fields near Bismarck. The fuel problem
for all of Dakota will have been solved
the moment this is done. There will
then be no necessity of burning twisted
hay for fuel. The coal in this country
crops out in the sides of bluffs, in many
places presenting solid front of pure
Ignite coal sixteen to twenty feet in
thickness. It will cost but little to mine
it. The railroads have it in their power
to settle forever the fuel problem in Da-
kota, and it is believed it will be settled
next year.
There are great many good points in
Mr.. Peck's article. The following is a
portion of it:
49,. * = x Take any little town west of
Albert Lea for an example, and it is the
same story with rare exceptions. A street
runs from the railroad east or west block
or two, with few stores, a wretched hotel,
few shops, and that is all. The town is
plated, and after lots enough are sold for
the purposes mentioned, the rest are wild
land. There is bank or capitalist who
lends money on any security, from mort
gage on farm to ehattel mortgage on a
COW, reaper, growing crops, anything in
sight, at a rate Of interest that would
frighten an eastern man to death. Every
thing is liable to be mortgaged, except
mans shirt. The farms are mostly large
and only few acres cultivated. A farmer
l.,4I 4I,0<s : Sc Tx rrnf ln,,I
enter homestead OF 100 acres, get another
100 on tree. claim. and another 100 on
some other scheme which have forgotten
the process OF. Anyway, the poorest man
in the world can become possessed of 480
acres of choice land by sticking to it. He
comes there perhaps with a dollar, COM
paratively, and before he knows it he is
land poor, in debt clear to his eyes, and the
high rate of interest chews on his vitas
night and day. He is looks at his broad
acres of rich land and imagines himself
rich, but the taxes and interest knock him
owed nothing, he would be rich. With 4SO
acres. he is poor. He raises wheat, flax,
corn and cattle, and sells the wheat for 80
cents bushel to pay claims of stores that
have advanced him stuff to live on, he sells
flax and corn to pay 2 per cent. a month in
tertst, lets the cow 60 on chattel mort
gage, and sits "arOund a stove for seven
months in the year twisting prairie hay to
burn to keep his wife and family from
freezing. These stories 90 east, and the
farmers who have money, and who want to
60 west, are frightened at the prospect of
having hay for fuel, and stay away from
: there. Those who sell coal are unable,
owing to high freight rates, to put it down
to price that farmer can
afford to buy it, or in some instances
they would not if they could, be-
cause they are on the make, and try to get
=. h,,ci
ness man said who charged IL cents for
cent calico, "I'm not out here for fun"
They all seem, railroads, grain buyers,
lumber dealers, bankers and coal men, to
be killing the goose that lays the golden
=. egg, and the frontier farmer is the afore-
said goose. Once year the directors of
railroads ride over the lines of road that
they are interested in, Ostensibly to look
over their property and post themselves on
the needs Of the country and speculate on
profitable dividends. They 60 through the
hour, night and day, play poker and drink
Wine, look out OF the window at the farms,
and appear anxious to get back to New
York. They do not learn a single thing
while they are away, except possibly the
value OF Jackpot" 1t is a good deal as
if Mr.: Chapman, the great dry goods man
of Milwaukee, should leave his business
entirely to hired help and 60 through his
store once year on gallop, and not show
up again for a twelve month.
Now, suppose could prove by several
reliable witnesses, that I have not got
much OF head on me. and that do not
know very much. In comparison with
railroad directors, capitalists, managers
and superintendent [ would not be worth
a cent. doubt it l could get a position as
boss of gang of section hands, but no
one will accuse me of being unable to see
aahole in ladder, / would like to take
few railroad directors, who had three
months to spare. / would take them in
democrat wagon. and drive them over
those prairies, and visit the farm houses,
and talk with the people, and when /
got through with those directors they
would admit that they had learned some
thing, and they would take the advice of
an ordinary red-headed man, and i'll five
years they would make the railroads that
run across the prairies pay as well as the